Dash Lights go on when braking?????

[rob07002]

My dash and console lights go on when I touch the brake pedal.

What do you guys think, bad ground or short

[CoryM]

Probably a bad ground or incorrect bulbs at the taillights. If the brake light circuit cannot ground at the back, it will travel up through the next available ground, in this case your dash lights. Do a light check, I bet your marker lights come on dimly with the brake lights as well. Hold a wire up the outer metal part of the socket and the other end to a good ground. If the other lights go out and your brake lights get brighter they need a better ground.

[Piet]

Bad Ground, incorrect or burnt out bulb on one of your brake lights.

Replace bulbs, then check...
then check your socket groundings.

[rob07002]

I think you guys hit the nail on the head. A neighbor told me the other day when I was pulling into my driveway that I had a brake light out. I putzed around the harness a bit and thought it was just a loose bulb. I'll buy new bulbs this week and try that, if its still f---d up I might just get a new tail light harness and toss the 36 year old spaghetti....

Thanks

[Bill Howell]

What they said. I am guessing you have a 1156 bulb in an 1157 socket. That or a bad ground. Do the brake lights burn (maybe dimmly) with the parking lights on? That would almost assure you have a incorrect bulb.

[rob07002]

Bill I'm not sure what you mean by burn. I don't think they go on even dimly when the parking lights are on, but I'll check tomorrow. I just noticed the problem the other day. The funny thing is this might have been going on for awile till I finally bought a house with a garage and saw the dash lights go on when pulling the car in the dark garage w/o the headlights on. When the headlights are on and I hit the brake the dash lights dim alittle but typical for and old car imo.

[Bill Howell]

Burn=lit=on (sorry, that southern language thing-lol). When you noticed it, were the dash lights coming on bright,normal or dim. It just sounds like feedback to me. Have you changed any bulbs lately?

[rob07002]

I guess they were on dimly, but bright enough to notice w/o looking. I haven't changed any bulbs lately.... Don't you just love electrical problems!!